Labor Shortages May Drive Faster Development of Robotic Food Delivery

Getting delivery for dinner tonight? You’re not alone… but have you wondered how automation could affect delivery in the coming years?

Many people have come to enjoy, even rely on, food delivery services. But labor shortages have created challenges for nearly every food delivery service. Speed and efficiency are difficult when you don’t have enough workers, and it appears that automation in food delivery may be the solution.

No Break Room Needed

Chick-fil-a recently made headlines by opening its Brake Room, a sort of break room open to all NYC delivery workers, to alleviate some of their basic needs in a city short on public restrooms.

That’s a great human solution, but what about when there aren’t enough drivers to go around?

Some companies are finding success as they use food delivery automation robots to bridge the labor shortage gap. On paper, the potential ability of such AI delivery options to work odd hours, through all types of weather, around the clock, without needing to find a bathroom or recharge a phone, is appealing.

Robotic Food Delivery Advantages

Additionally, automation generally leads to reductions in delivery times: faster robots can deliver within half the normal one-hour wait, reducing costs by half.

A $2.50 delivery fee goal from a Cartken rover is a lot less daunting of an amount for college students, in particular, to pay than $5-6 per meal. Using robots like Ottobot cuts delivery costs by up to 70%, especially if a food delivery robot holds multiple orders in multiple compartments for the delivery along the same route.

Driving Factors of Automated Food Delivery

Interest was certainly spurred on during the limited social contact days of Covid when more people than ever opted for food delivery, and many restaurants closed or severely limited their interior dining options.

Now, issues such as continued labor shortages and inflation costs have pushed companies toward the promising efficiency of automated delivery systems. Emerging technologies like robots with insulated coolers and thermos capabilities and, soon, even self-driving cars are leading the way.

Lest we fear that robots are coming for our jobs: research suggests these robots would not actually be replacing any jobs but rather would be taking on tasks that people have left in search of better jobs.

Not to mention that, for now, most robotic and automated services are limited in scope and capability. Many robots rely at least partially on remote operators for solving problems in real-time and monitoring smooth operations, so role changes are more likely than total replacements.

Who is Using AI Driven Food Delivery?

Food delivery robots can’t meet every need quite yet. It’s going to be a while before one drives to your house in the suburbs. But in the right circumstances, they’re already beginning to deliver value. College campuses, airports, hotels, hospitals, and developed urban cores are all legitimate use cases.

There’s also a benefit to the customer: using phone apps, people can make an order, receive it within minutes, and still make it to their next appointment, flight, or class on time.

Various technologies are used depending on the setting and the method of delivery. These may include LiDAR (laser/LED light) for mapping, motion-detecting cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and GPS tracking. Robots can navigate indoors and outdoors with these tools and be monitored remotely.

We’re not at full autonomy yet in food delivery automation, but we’re making progress. As technology progresses, it promises to offer smooth maneuverability, accessibility, and safety. Many businesses hope to maintain better margins while increasing customer satisfaction with robot delivery as the technology matures.